Philip Crowther uploaded a video compilation of his polyglottal television broadcasts. Photo / Twitter@PhilipinDC
Philip Crowther uploaded a video compilation of his polyglottal television broadcasts. Photo / Twitter@PhilipinDC
A reporter has stunned the Twitterverse with his live coverage from Ukraine in six languages.
Philip Crowther, an international affiliate correspondent with the Associated Press, uploaded a video compilation of his polyglottal television broadcasts on the Russia-Ukraine conflict from the city of Kyiv on Monday night.
He can be heard speaking English, Luxembourgish, Spanish, Portuguese, French and then German as he switched between broadcasts.
And if six languages wasn't impressive enough, Crowther revealed last month that he was learning Arabic.
Crowther was born in Luxembourg and is now based in Washington DC in the US. He is a native speaker of English, German and Luxembourgish, and a fluent speaker in the other three languages.
His Twitter post on Monday night attracted praise from across the world, with many journalists sharing the clip.
"This is unbelievably good," Sky News Australia host Laura Jayes wrote.
"I never tire of listening to this man explain the news," ABC journalist Siobhan Heanue said.
"It's not just that he speaks six languages, it is that he does it accentless, and doesn't even do an air punch at the conclusion of each burst!" added Australian author Peter FitzSimons.
American journalist David Folkenflik, who is a media correspondent for National Public Radio, called Crowther a "journalistic Swiss Army knife".
"Are we sure that @PhilipinDC isn't a robot? Six languages?!" White House reporter Philip Wegmann joked.
Other Twitter users joked about what Crowther's Duolingo score would be.
"Yeah, but did he get today's Wordle in three?" asked one user.
Crowther is covering the Russia-Ukraine conflict after recently finishing up at the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the Russian nation from the Kremlin in Moscow yesterday. Photo / AP
Russian President Vladimir Putin made a provocative, unexpected move amid the conflict on Tuesday that was labelled "a very dark sign" by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Putin officially acknowledged pro-Russian, rebel Ukrainian territories – the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) – and recognised them as independent regions.
Russian troops were sent to those rebel regions for "peacekeeping", with footage soon circulating on social media of tanks and forces crossing the border, sparking fears war is imminent.
The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting in response to the situation, with one representative warning of "devastating loss of life" and "unimaginable suffering" ahead if the invasion progressed further.
